I Blame Drew’s Cancer For Not Thinking of #Blamedrewscancer First

For a while, I assumed the references to #Blamedrewscancer on Twitter were an inside joke. Who is Drew? Does he really have cancer? If so, why are people laughing about, even blaming Drew’s cancer for everything from AT&T’s pathetic network coverage coverage to getting dumped .

If you take a look at Blame Drews Cancer, you’ll learn that Drew Olanoff was diagnosed with cancer May 20, 2009. It did not take long, and already Drew has replaced an outdated model of mobilizing support with a simple hashtag: #blamedrewscancer. To date, nearly 10,000 people have blamed drews cancer on over 20,000 things.

Who could have imagined a a hashtag could launch a viral movement to raise awareness for cancer? Drew did. Since when is it okay to laugh about cancer and talk about chemo so casually? That’s just it – it is more than okay, in fact, it may be the ONLY thing that works in a day and age when traditional PR strategies are losing their efficacy. Another PSA featuring a celebrity to whom I cannot relate? No thank you.

Last night I headed over to Blame Drew’s Cancer Blowout expecting an ordinary social media gathering. I was wrong. Drew came on screen, thanked us for attending and ‘blamed his cancer’ for not being able to attend in person. He’s real, funny, wore killer red goggles, and he is not a “cancer victim”, he is one of us. He did not let a diagnosis change him or his ability to relate to others.

I want to be a part of something larger than me-don’t we all? Drew inspires his supporters with his brutally honest portrayal of cancer and offers an easy way to engage supporters in his mission – the hashtag is the tool that lead to what is now a nationwide movement. The hashtag, however, is just the beginning: I am hooked. I want to see President Obama in a Blame Drew’s Cancer tee-shirt. Why not?

I have already reached out to friends of mine who are already involved in Blame Drew’s Cancer to see how I can help. So, if anyone wants to join me (and many other phenomenal people) to support Blame Drew’s Cancer, let me know.